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Everything we know, free and ungated.
Sixteen guides, a free checklist and two planning tools. No email wall, no download form, no 40-page PDF that turns out to be a brochure.
The library
Start wherever your next trip is weakest.
Each guide is written to be useful on its own. None of them require buying anything from us.
Complete walkthrough
New to camping? The whole trip, in nine steps
What car camping actually is, where to go, which tent, how to sleep warm, what to eat, and which gear each part needs.
Start the walkthroughShelter
What size tent do you actually need?
Every tent is rated for more people than it holds. How the numbers work, how to pick a size, and what else on the spec sheet matters.
Read the guidePlanning
How to plan a first trip you will actually repeat
The 48-hour weekend, planned backwards from the one thing that ruins first trips: arriving after dark.
Read the guideFamilies
Camping with kids: the 12 things that prevent meltdowns
Written by process of elimination. Most of it has nothing to do with gear, and the gear part is short.
Read the guideSleep
Why you were cold last time (it was not the sleeping bag)
R-values, rating honesty, and the single cheapest fix for a bad night outdoors.
Read the guideSkills
How to pick a campsite, and set it up in the right order
Five checks before you unpack anything, and the setup sequence that keeps a first evening calm.
Read the guideWeather
Camping in the rain without hating it
Most rain misery is condensation and boredom, not rainfall. Here is how to prevent both.
Read the guideSkills
How to build a campfire that actually lights
The three-material rule, two builds worth knowing, and how to put one out properly.
Read the guideCamp kitchen
Twelve camp meals you can actually cook
Patterns rather than recipes — one pot, cooler-friendly, and makeable in fading light by someone who is tired.
Read the guideSafety
Camp first aid: the ten things that actually happen
The minor injuries that make up almost every kit's real workload, and how to stop them becoming a crisis.
Read the guideTool
The Clarion Camp Checklist
The list we use to sanity-check a car-camping weekend before it leaves the driveway. Free, on this page, no email needed.
Use the checklistAll sixteen guides
Field Notes
Bugs and ticks, Leave No Trace, shoulder-season camping, packing the car, camping with a dog, lighting and power, and more.
Browse Field NotesFree tool, no sign-up
What time do you actually have to leave?
Be parked two hours before sunset — the rule that prevents more bad first trips than any piece of equipment. Tell us roughly where, the date, and the drive time.
This planner needs JavaScript. The rule it applies is simple enough to do by hand: find sunset for your date, subtract two hours to get your arrival target, then subtract your drive time plus 45 minutes. That is when you leave home.
Sunset is calculated in your browser from the date and location, not fetched from anywhere. Nothing you type here is sent to us or stored.
Free, no email required
The Clarion Camp Checklist
Built for a two-night car-camping weekend for two to four people. Cut it down for backpacking; add layers for shoulder season. Print it, screenshot it, or copy it — it is yours.
Sleep system
- Sleeping bag rated 10-15°F below expected low
- Sleeping pad (R-value 2+ for summer, 4+ for shoulder season)
- Pillow — inflatable or a stuff sack of clothes
- Extra blanket for the first cold hour
- Dry sleep socks that never leave the tent
Shelter
- Tent, poles, stakes — counted, not assumed
- Groundsheet, cut slightly smaller than the tent floor
- Mallet or rock for stakes
- Tarp and cord for rain or shade
- Small repair tape and a spare guy line
Light & power
- Headlamp per person
- Lantern for the table
- Spare batteries or a charged power bank
- String lights to mark guy lines
- Phone cable that actually works
Kitchen
- Stove and fuel — shake the canister before you leave
- Lighter plus a backup fire starter
- Pot, pan, and one sharp knife
- Plates, cups, cutlery per person
- Water containers — 2L per person per day
- Biodegradable soap, sponge, trash bags
Wear & carry
- Rain shell — even if the forecast says no
- Insulating mid layer for after sunset
- Closed shoes for camp, plus sandals
- Hat and sunscreen
- Daypack for the trail
Safety
- First aid kit — and tell everyone where it is
- Any personal medication, plus a spare
- Multi-tool
- Bug protection appropriate to the season
- Offline map or downloaded area map
- Written note of your plan left with someone at home
Easy to forget
- Camp chairs
- Quick-dry towel
- Cash for firewood and ice
- Garbage bags — more than you think
- A book, a deck of cards, no screens
- Camp shoes for a 2am walk
If the dog comes
- Collapsible bowls and extra water
- Long line and a stake
- Waste bags
- Proof of vaccination if the campground asks
- Paw check after every hike
- Something familiar to sleep on
One rule that saves more trips than any item on this list: pack the sleep system and the light system first, and check both before you leave the driveway. Almost every bad night traces back to one of those two.
Latest
Fresh from the field notes
New guides as we write them.
first time
Solo Camping for the First Time: Safety and Gear
Solo camping is a different experience than group camping in almost every way — more quiet, more internal, and more demanding. You make every...
environment
Leave No Trace: The Complete Field Guide
Leave No Trace isn't a set of rules about what you can't do. It's a framework for making decisions when the right answer isn't...
forecast
How to Read a Weather Forecast Before You Head Out
The forecast you read at home on Monday looks nothing like what the mountain weather briefing says on Thursday. The further in advance you...
Buying help
Questions we would rather answer than have you guess at
None of these answers end in you having to buy something.
I have a weekend and almost no gear. What is the minimum?
Shelter, a sleep system, light, water and a way to make something hot. Everything else is comfort. If you can borrow a tent, spend your money on the sleeping pad first — it is the single biggest predictor of whether you sleep. The nine-step walkthrough covers the whole sequence.
What size tent should I buy?
Subtract one from the number on the box. A rated 4-person tent is comfortable for three, or two adults and two children. A rated 6-person suits a family of four plus gear. Full detail in what size tent do you actually need?
Is more expensive gear actually warmer or lighter?
Sometimes. Price mostly buys weight savings and packability, not warmth. If you are car camping, a heavier, cheaper bag with a good pad under it will outperform an expensive ultralight bag on bare ground. Weight only starts mattering when you are carrying it.
How do I know if a sleeping bag rating is honest?
You mostly do not, and neither do we — which is why we label every temperature figure as manufacturer-rated. Treat any rating as a survival number and plan to be comfortable roughly 10-15°F above it. Add a liner or a warmer pad rather than trusting the number.
What should I not buy yet?
A second stove, a big cooler, anything titanium, and most camp gadgets. Go twice, notice what actually annoyed you, then buy the fix. Almost nobody regrets buying gear late; plenty of people regret buying it early.
Can I just ask you what to buy?
Please do. Send us the trip details — dates, location, who is coming, expected low temperature — and we will send back a shortlist. If the honest answer is that you already have what you need, that is what we will say.
Keep the list
Want the checklist in your inbox instead?
We will send it as a single email you can pull up at the campsite, plus a note whenever a new field guide goes live.